


Constants

by TheHeadphoneGirl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Auror Partners, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gay Sex, Humor, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:44:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeadphoneGirl/pseuds/TheHeadphoneGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When two people are forced to work together for long periods of time, the outcomes are numerous, but usually they either 1) kill each other,    2) become close friends or 3) fall in love. Sometimes all three happen, and this is one of these extraordinary cases.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

Some things don’t change. The earth moving around the sun for example, or that politicians would always be arses. They are facts of life and won’t change and would continue to be a constant. Though this irks some, the ones who love spontaneity and the idea of improvisation, this is a comforting thought to one Harry Potter, who’s life has, up to this point, been the very incarnation of adventure and the almost fairy tale like prospect of good triumphing over evil. Though he believes there is no such thing as just good or bad people, he believes he’s seen enough evil to last a life time.  
Then he turned 20.  
After the war was over and most of the loose ends had been tied up, Harry had decided that a year or 10 off would be excellent. He could do all the things you’re supposed to do growing up and then live a nice quiet life. Get married, have a few kids, the normal stuff. So he, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna all travelled for a while. Nothing fancy just a road trip about the UK for a year, and it was the most fun Harry had ever had. Then when it was over and he realised something.  
In two months, he was turning 20.  
And not only was that happening, everyone else decided to be productive and get jobs! The nerve of them! Hermione, of course, decided to go study magical law, got a taste for it during the trials apparently. Luna was going to study some rare plant phenomenon in Iceland with Neville and some Scamander bloke. Then Ginny got signed by some up and coming quidditch team!   
“The wars over Harry, we need to move on. We have to!” Hermione concluded. He remembers because it was the evening she found out she was accepted into Borderfords University of magical Law.  
“I have moved on! Well, I’m trying anyway. It’s not just something you ‘move on’ from! Harry blurted.  
“We know, mate. We know what you went through was horrendous, but our lives haven’t exactly been walks in the park either,” Piped Neville, “All we are saying is that this is how we are moving on. We’ve all seen stuff we should never should of seen or been involved in things that we wanted no part in, but-“  
“But you all did have a choice! You could have-“  
“What? Left you to do all that on your own? Fat chance.” Scoffed Ron into his pint.  
Good old Ron. Ron got it. He knew why Harry was so uncomfortable about all this.  
During Their year of sweet nothing, Harry had got into a routine. He would wake up at about ten, make a cup of strong coffee and some bacon sandwiches then go to the Weasleys’, or go to Diagon Alley with Teddy, or fire call someone. Then after doing whatever he wanted he could go home and sleep knowing he could do the exact same thing tomorrow. A constant, if you will.  
Now suddenly, thanks to society, his plans were interrupted. How rude.   
But he still had Ron. Ron mentioned nothing to do with getting a ‘Real Job’, as Hermione liked to put it. He seemed perfectly content floating around doing nothing in particular with Harry.  
Then, Harry turned 20.  
“Mate,” Ron questioned over drinks, “do you ever think about what we could do?”  
“What do you mean?” Harry knew exactly where this was going.  
“Well, we are older now. Should we not be, I don’t know, doing something?”  
“We are doing something. We are getting drunk on my Birthday!”  
“You know what I mean.”   
They both took large gulps of their beer.  
“I was looking in the paper, and they’re accepting applicants for auror training, so I thought maybe…”  
Ron had seemed to get so distracted by something in the bottom of his beer, he couldn’t finish a sentence.  
“Ron, I’ve told you, I don’t want to get caught up in all that stuff again. I’m happy!”  
“But for how long? Everyone is doing something! Hell, I heard even Malfoy’s an auror now! Why sit back wh-“  
“Wait, what did you say there?” Harry knew precisely what Ron had said.  
“Well, I heard Malfoy’s an Auror. A good one too, apparently.”  
Ron had never been one to hold grudges for a long time. Then after they helped with his trial before the road trip, Malfoy had apologised to all of them. He seemed especially sorry to Hermione and confessed that his bullying was down to the fact she just bet him in every class, though that wasn’t much of an excuse. Ron had eased up on him then.  
“An auror? Really? I’m surprised they let him.”  
“Like we’ve been saying, mate,” Ron said, picking up his glass, “the war’s over”  
The next day Harry and Ron signed up for Auror training, and by Harry’s 21st , they were qualified Aurors, and were partners, thank merlin. Of course, despite their background, they weren’t allowed to do any of the proper cases because they’re still relatively young. However they are pretty much guaranteed the more exciting medium risk cases because of their efficiency. The only one who could sometimes rival it was Malfoy and his partner, Jenna. Jenna was great with all the paper work and the like while apparently Malfoy did the, ‘leg work’. Harry wasn’t surprised at this. Malfoy always had freakishly long legs, he’d be able to catch people twice as fast as little Jenna, who stands at a great height of 5’4, while Malfoy was at least 6’3.  
Harry decided a few months in he enjoyed being an auror. It was good getting a little office with his best friend, solving crimes then going to the Weasley’s for tea. After he and Ginny broke up, he assumed he wouldn’t really be welcome, even if it was in exceptionally good terms. You see, Ginny had realised something about Harry that made her immediately not want to date him. Ginny was at least 98% sure Harry was, for lack of a better term, hella gay.   
“Harry, do you love me?” she had asked him one night during the road trip.  
“Of course I do” he had answered. He wasn’t lying! He did love Ginny, still does, in fact.  
“But do you fancy me?” she asked, now facing him. He could tell she already knew the answer.  
“I’m sorry, Gin.” He murmured, not looking at her, “I don’t know what it is, I just…”  
Her head was in her hands and she was shaking uncontrollably.   
“Aw, Gin, don’t cry. It’s my fault, truly, you’re great! It’s just-“  
Harry then noticed that Ginny was not in fact crying, but laughing silently, and quite violently, to be honest.  
“Oh Harry, darling, I know!” she managed to get out through the laughter  
“…. Know what, sorry?”  
“That you’re gay!” Ginny exclaimed, like it was an easy observation.  
Easy to everyone but Harry.  
Sure, he could tell when a man was attractive. And sure, he’d had the odd, uhm, dream of sorts. But that happens to everyone, right?  
Right??  
Oh god, it was Bullshit and he knew it. He’s had crushes on guys and girls, though? What the fuck does that make him?  
“Bisexuality, is actually quite common, Harry” Hermione had told him after he confessed about why he and Ginny broke up. “Many people identify as Bi”  
“Oh yeah?” he said, feeling sorry for himself, “like who?”  
“Well, in the muggle world, there’s Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Megan Fox, David Bowie, Lady GaGa, kesha, Marlon Brando. There’s loads of others”  
“Oi!” Ron pipes in, “Wasn’t Professor Lupin Bisexual?”  
“What? He never told me that…”  
“Yeah, me neither” Hermione muttered to herself, “how did you figure that Ron?”  
“Well, I heard him and Sirius having a, uhm, conversation during the summer after fourth year. They both seemed pretty sure he was Bi…” Again, the bottom of Ron’s bottle seemed more interesting.  
Harry got his head round it eventually, liking guys openly. Hell, even the media knew. Rita Skeeter had had a field day. What was that first headline from the prophet again?  
Ah, yes, “The Boy Who Bottomed”. Hmph.  
So yes, Harry would say he’s very happy with the way things worked out really. He believes he would have got bored eventually, plus it’s better to be doing something rather than nothing. He enjoys working 9-5 hours, except Thurdays’, when he and Ron work the back shifts in the auror department. Which was basically race the office chairs down the halls and have a couple shots of Firewhiskey for another 4 hours.  
Yes, work was good, his friends and family were good. It was all fine!  
That was until Shacklebolt called himself, Ron, Malfoy and Jenna into his office.


	2. Changes

This was a highly unusual situation. Though Harry and Malfoy didn’t fight like cats and dogs anymore, they didn’t talk. At all.

Well, there was the odd congratulations on solving difficult cases, or even Happy Birthday on one occasion, but never any conversations. 

Frankly Harry still considered Malfoy to be a bit of a git. Even what happened after the war, Malfoy still held himself higher than the rest. Thought himself above others and was merely gracing them all with his presence. The swagger when he walked, the arrogant smirk whenever someone else screws up even slightly, and the single arched eyebrow whenever he was surprised by someone’s performance. Bastard.  
When Harry and Ron arrived, flustered and slightly scared, Jenna and Malfoy were muttering to each other heatedly in two of the four chairs in front of Shacklebolt’s desk. He was yet to arrive. Malfoy was obviously irritated when they arrived, while Jenna just seemed-

Apologetic?

“Potter? What the hell are you doing here?” Malfoy demanded.  
“Relax, Malfoy” Ron soothed, “it’s probably just a mix up in some paper work. You’ll be back to terrorising the streets of London before you know it”  
“Actually,” Shacklebolt said, walking through the door, “I’m afraid it’s a bit more than that. Please, gentlemen, take a seat.” He gestured between the two empty seats.  
“Now”, he began “Auror Malfoy, as you may or may not know, Auror Tickum here, is going to be out of service for a conside-“  
“What?” Malfoy interrupted, “What do you mean ‘out of service’?” he turned to Jenna, “what’s wrong?”  
“…I’ve got a bun in me oven, lads.” She laughed “Don’t worry, I’m not dying or nothin’ . Just need some time to…What did you call it earlier, sir?”  
“Recuperate” , Shaklebolt said, patiently.  
“Aye, recuperate! Uch, don’t worry yourself, Dray! I’ll be back before you’ll know I’m gone!”  
“I’m not the least bit worried about you, Jenna. I’m worried why They are here.”  
“Yes, well” ,started Shaklebolt, “with Auror Tickum’s unexpected expectance, we are an Auror down. And it’s my responsibility to do what’s best for our department and the witches and wizards of Great Britain.”

Oh no, Harry thought to himself. Nothing good ever happens when Shacklebolt talks about the greater good.

“Now, as we all know, the war is still fresh in people’s minds. Some more prominently than others.”  
Malfoy shifted in his chair the same time Harry did.

“Many are struggling to move on and accept the past. Now, in order to combat this and show the ministry remains united in these times of hardship, it has been in deliberation that our two most publicised Aurors’ should perhaps be working together, in the public eye, showing no matter our pasts, we remain united.”

Oh Fuck.  
“As you may or may not have guessed, our two most publicised Aurors are you two. Harry, Draco, would you be willing to work together as partners?”  
The silence that followed that question was almost deafening  
Harry was the first to speak. “Well, what about Ron? He wouldn’t have a partner?”  
“We happen to have a more senior officer who, up until now, handled his cases alone. He has agreed to a new partner, if Mr Weasley was willing?”  
“Yeah! Yeah of course.” Ron said, glancing at Harry.  
Traitor.  
“Would this be permanent?” enquired Malfoy.  
“Of course not!” Jenna said, looking surprised at the question, “Barry wants to be a stay at home Dad, bless him. I should be back in a year or so”  
Only the tick of the mantelpiece clock could be heard.  
“If Potter is willing to do this, I have no issues with the arrangement.” He spoke about it like it would be easy.  
“If Malfoy, and Ron are okay with it so am I.” He tried his best to look indifferent. He failed.  
“Excellent, gentlemen! This will help the ministry a great deal. The minister will be pleased to know you…”

Harry lost interest after that. Why did he agree to this? He was happy with his arrangement here. He should’ve said no because of personal reasons, they never question that. Goddamn it, now it’s going to be just like 8th year. Awkward glances and occasional snarls. How the fuck is this going to work? Harry certainly wasn’t going to sit and do all the paperwork for him! He loved being in the field. No, they would share the work evenly and do the paperwork together. That’s fair.  
Oh God help me, he thought.

“Harry? You there mate?”  
Harry refocussed to find everyone looking at him.

“Sorry, lost in thought. What was it you were saying Sir?”  
“I was saying” He said slightly disgruntled, “that if it suits all, the new arrangement will become effective on Monday. Any issues?”  
“No, sir” was chorused by all four sitting in the chairs in front of Kingsley Shacklebolt’s desk.  
“Good” He smiled, “now, kindly, get out of my office.”

Everyone left the office, and after a few congratulatory hugs for Jenna, left to get back to their respective offices. All except Draco Malfoy, who decided that it would probably be a good idea to have a chat with Potter. Golden boy is probably so used to getting his own way he doesn’t know how to take direction.

Prat

It wasn’t that Draco didn’t like Potter, it was merely easier to mindlessly hate him rather than actually get to know him. They had rarely spoken since the trials. Their last conversation had hardly been a success.

“So. How- What are you going to do now?” Harry asked him, looking more awkward than Draco thought possible.  
“I’m considering joining the circus, Potter. I feel being a lion tamer would be particularly fun.” Draco spoke as though he would rather be watching paint dry.  
At first Harry didn’t notice the jab at Gryffindor, but chose to ignore it anyway.  
“I can imagine you’d find that particularly thrilling. Tell me, would you get to wear the top hat and tails?”  
This got him a surprising bark of laughter, “Oh, I hope so. I’ve been told they rather suit me” he said puffing out his chest. “What about you, Potter? Going home to your family I presume?”  
Harry glared. The last piece of family he had was taken from him by Bellatrix, by Draco’s fucking Aunt.  
“Actually Draco, you may have noticed I’m running out of family members.” Harry said icily.  
Silence.  
“I guess that makes two of us.” Malfoy said quietly, before clearing his throat,  
“Good luck” Malfoy said, reaching out for a handshake.   
Now this was interesting. The very thing that represented their rivalry being repeated with hope of a different outcome. Draco doubts Harry even remembers that first day, or at least remembers it the same.  
Harry remembers.  
Draco reached the large dark wood doors that led into his soon to be shared office with Potter. He raised his hand to knock on the door, yet found himself hesitating. Despite knowing it was ridiculous to be nervous in regards to talking with Potter, he still found himself unable to chap the door. He could hear Weasley’s slightly obnoxious laugh from the other side and felt like he was intruding. Draco considered for a brief moment leaving and perhaps calling Potter over the weekend, before deciding that would be invasive. A million different escape routes crossed Draco’s mind before he took a deep breath and was about to knock.  
Just when Draco’s fist hit the wood the door opened, revealing a surprised and slightly flustered Harry Potter. Draco had always envied Potter for his eyes. Such a wonderful shade of green. Draco wasn’t surprised at the expression as they were inches away from the others face. Draco took this opportunity of bewilderment to step back and speak.  
“I thought it would be best if we had a chat about the arrangements Potter, though if you’re in the process of leaving I understand.” Draco tried to sound as collected as possible.  
“Uh yeah, sure. I was actually on my way to get you there. Great minds think a like and all that” it was now Draco’s turn to look surprised. “Please.” Harry said, gesturing for Draco to enter the office.  
The room looked as though a very small paper filled bomb had gone off, and Draco immediately wished Potter had came to his tidy, clean office to talk. As Weasley was sitting at one desk and Draco, despite his shortcomings, knew it would be a bit of a slap in the face to sit at Potter’s desk, he took up residence on the couch at Potters side of the room. He did notice that Harry’s side, ignoring a few take away boxes, was considerably cleaner.  
Just as Draco sat down, Weasley looked up from his paperwork.   
“Malfoy. Great news about Jenna, she’ll make a bloody great mum” Ron smiled.  
“I agree, Weasley. Any news about this senior associate you’ve to be sent to?” replied Draco, cordially.  
“uhh I have the letter here…somewhere..” Ron muttered while sorting through stacks of loose sheets of paper.  
Draco let out a chuckle. “Your filing system is impeccable, you must give me a run through of it some day”.   
Ron glared at Draco for a moment, but without malice. “I’m sure a clever git like you could work it out. Ah!” he exclaimed, holding a folded up piece of paper, “a senior Auror C. Karper. Know anything about him?”  
Draco immediately felt bad for the optimistic ginger.  
“I’m afraid you’ll be leaving this department an alcoholic, Weasley. Best of luck to you.”  
Ron frowned. “bollocks.”  
Potter had sat down at his desk. “Sorry mate. Better go get that last bit of transfer paperwork before Alice leaves for the day.”  
Weasley looked at his watch. “fuck! Right lads, I’m off! Don’t kill each other!” Ron shouted over his shoulder after grabbing his satchel and running towards the H.R department.  
Silence.  
“So,” harry said apprehensively “listen I know we haven’t got the best background but-“   
Draco scoffed.  
“-But! I want this to work out. I like this job and I want to keep it. Can we at least agree on that?”  
Draco looked at the man who was sitting before him and saw someone desperate.  
“Yes, Potter. We can agree on that. However, I do have some…requests”.  
Harry looked indifferent, “ I knew you would. What kind of requests are you talking about?”  
“This,” Draco said while flicking an empty take away box, “is unacceptable. I understand most of this is the ginger’s mess, but I can’t work unless the environment allows me to. Clear?”  
“Crystal” Harry replied, icily.  
Draco suddenly felt rather uncomfortable, so naturally he became more dramatic. He stood up and began to pace.  
“I also will not play the part of the housewife, Potter. I will be in the field as much as you are and we must share the paperwork, even with that chicken scratch you call handwriting. I will also not stand in the back while you get praise for solving cases, I should get the amount of credit I deserve.” He turned to look at Harry. “ And Merlin, please dress better or I will find it difficult to be seen with you.”  
Harry’s face was stone but his eyes were holding back rage.  
“Anything, else?” Harry said staring Malfoy down.  
If looks could kill, Draco’s funeral would have been a week ago.  
Draco sat back down on the couch, suddenly feeling the need to be small.  
“Em no, no that’s it…Do you have any requests?” Draco murmered.  
Harry sighed and stood up from his desk to lean against the front of it.  
“Listen if this is going to work we are going to have to try and get along. I understand that you are used to-“ Harry looked him up and down while trying to avoid eye contact “-working a certain way, but so am I. I will work on cleanliness, and I didn’t plan on making you stay here while I did field work if that’s what you meant by ‘housewife’-“  
Draco had completely forgotten he’d used that term and was both amused and mortified by the metal image.  
“-and I wouldn’t take credit for your work. However, I won’t change the way I dress cause its practical, and I would appreciate it if you spoke to me like I was an equal as opposed to a child. Am I being clear?”  
“Crystal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's been a while! Sorry for the wait but hope you enjoyed it!  
> Lauren

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is my first time publishing on here so bear with me!  
>  This first chapter is just more of a set up to the rest of the story and the rest will have considerably longer chapters. Please review and let me know if there are any issues with it.  
> Lauren


End file.
